Ara Mina bakes cakes, cupcakes for COVID-19 frontliners

MANILA – Since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) has been declared in the entire Luzon, most people have been doing their own part in helping the COVID-19 frontliners -- whether by donating funds, goods or medical equipment, or just by staying at home to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease.

For actress Ara Mina, she has been busy baking cakes and cupcakes which she sends to various hospitals here in Manila and in Pampanga, and even to military troops manning checkpoints.

“First week of ECQ, I was able to bake some cupcakes, cakes and we sent some food for our frontliners in Pasig Doctors Medical Center, AFP Medical Center, Angeles Pampanga Police Station 5 as well as police and military officers in San Mateo Rizal checkpoint. Just a little something for our heroes. Thank you to our frontliners, we salute you,” she wrote on Instagram.

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First week of ECQ, I was able to bake some cupcakes, cakes and we sent some food for our frontliners in Pasig Doctors Medical Center, AFP Medical Center, Angeles Pampanga Police Station 5 (near #Hazelberry in Pampanga 😊), as well as Police and Military Officers in San Mateo Rizal checkpoint. Just a little something for our heroes. Thank you to our frontliners, we salute you! 😍 . My partner @christineangela21 and I were also able to share some groceries to our employees. Thank God for providing🙏🏻 . Tulungan lang po tayo hangga’t sa makakaya. We’re giving our best effort. Donating also to some friends na nagreraise ng funds. Still thinking of how we can help pa while still working from home for @hazelberryofficial para kahit papaano may maitulong pa tayo sa ating kapwa. . We can do this everyone! 😍👍🏻 . #FightCovid19 #FrontlinersPH #AraCares #GTGFCares #HazelberryCares #AraMinaFoundation

A post shared by 💖 𝐀𝐫𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐚 💖 (@therealaramina) on Apr 13, 2020 at 9:21am PDT

Mina, who owns Hazelberry Café which has branches in Quezon City, Pasig City and Pampanga, also said she and her partner have not forgotten their own employees, to whom they gave some groceries.

“Tulungan lang po tayo hangga’t sa makakaya. We’re giving our best effort. Donating also to some friends na nagre-raise ng funds. Still thinking of how we can help pa while still working from home for Hazelberry para kahit papaano may maitulong pa tayo sa ating kapwa,” she said.

Although the current situation may be difficult for everyone, Mina said there’s nothing we can’t do if people will help each other.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Binay camp says Goldilocks cakes smaller, blasts deception

MANILA - The camp of Vice-President Jejomar Binay believes there was deception and possible collusion in the bidding of cakes for Makati senior citizens on Monday.

Joey Salgado, spokesperson of Vice-President Binay, said the premise for the bidding is wrong since the cakes purchased from Bakerite under suspended Makati Mayor Junjun Binay were not overpriced.

He pointed out that lawyer Renato Bondal admitted before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee that he only made a guess that the Makati cakes were priced at P1,000 each when documents later showed that the price of the cakes was only P306 each.

Salgado also insinuated there may have been collusion between acting Mayor Kid Pena and Goldilocks, the lone bidder who showed up on Monday. He said Makati already had a formal bidding but the notice of award has not yet been issued to Bakerite.

"This is on record, last month [Vice-Mayor Pena] said ang magsu-supply Goldilocks na and he even quoted the price between P260 to P285. Ngayon kahapon ano ang lumabas? Goldilocks was the lone bidder and the price that Goldilocks quoted was along that same price range, from P260 to P285. That raises for us a lot of questions. You express preference for this supplier and the supplier is the lone bidder," he said.

He also said the cakes of Goldilocks are smaller than Bakerite's, hence the lower cost. He said Bakerite is a reputable bakeshop with headquarters in Quiapo, Manila.

"These are smaller cakes. Obviously if you ask for smaller cakes, the quotation and bid would be smaller. That's clearly a case of deception. Linoloko na naman nila ang media," he said.

Pena earlier told ANC that he would rather have popular bakeshops such as Goldilocks and Red Ribbon to supply birthday cakes to Makati's senior citizens to avoid controversy over the costs.

"Hangga’t maaari para wala na lang shadow of doubt sa lahat ng mga bagay na ‘yan, gusto ko iba na lang ang gumagawa ng cake. Gusto namin i-try ‘yung Red Ribbon or Goldilocks,” Pena said.

A Court of Appeals order freezing 242 bank accounts and other financial instruments of Vice-President Binay and associates also revealed that the Binays have links to Kim Tun Chong, the sole proprietor of a business that supplied the birthday cakes.

READ: Sweet ties: Binays in bed with Makati cake supplier

On Monday, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Chairman Danilo Villas said the current supplier, Bakerite, was invited to join in the bidding for the cakes contract but did not join.

Gilbert Delos Reyes, new head of the Makati public information office, said the entry of Goldilocks might have caused other interested bidders to back out.

"Dahil Goldilocks iyan, dambuhalang kumpanya, 'yung mga dating nag-signify baka natakot," Delos Reyes said.

Goldilocks' bid was P8,666,080.50. This includes delivery of 31,187 cakes for senior citizens of Makati.

Based on the bid documents of Goldilocks, each cake will cost from P266-P285, depending on the size.

The contract covers cakes to be delivered from August 15 to December 31, 2015.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com